Radiohead returned in a big way this year, not only did they perform one of my favourite concert sets of all time when they played the Roundhouse earlier this year but they released one of their best LP’s in years in the shape of ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’. I’ll leave it to you really delve into the music, but lets just say Bowie and Prince may no longer be with us but turn to Frank to see just how their music will inspire and live on. ![]() A great album is one you can relate to and Blonde is exactly that. It’s fair to say everything from the albums creation to it’s surprise release had been carefully and meticulously organised, which is the same feel you get from the very neat, very stripped back feel of Blonde, it’s very somber but you can help be captivated by Frank’s once again outstanding vocals, I mean just look to ‘Solo’ for all the proof you need, ‘Pink + White’ its by far his best track he’s ever made and the albums highlight but what I love most about it is the little stories that scatter the LP, just take a proper listen to the humorous and humble skits, I hear my aunt in the words of ‘Be Yourself’ and uncle in ‘Facebook Story’. If any album had the most pressure to succeed this year then it had to be Frank Ocean’s very long awaited second album, with no official confirmation that it was even being created just deep rumours spreading across the internet which unbelievably resulted in a video of him building a staircase!? which in itself became the video album “Endless” and finally a couple days later the proper LP “Blonde” was born. One song in particular stands out amongst them all however and that is the excellent “Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)”, the original album version is truly spectacular with it’s blend of traditional soul music from the 60’s with a modern edge and is hands down the most underrated song to come out of this 2016, it brims full of energy and your really doing yourself a disservice by not hearing it. it was only after I saw her show stealing set at this year’s Coachella did I sit up and rightfully take notice, It’s a very strong showcase for the young songstress talent, full of some truly emotional ballads and fantastic songwriting, “Painter” and “Love Is Blind” instantly spring to mind. My highest ranking debut album this year comes in the form of Lapsley’s “Long Way Home”, I must admit that initially I completely overlooked the album on it’s release, sure I’d heard the superb singles such as “Hurt Me” and “Station” but I’d somehow missed the LP (like most people did it seem’s with a chart peak of only #32!) when it came out in the U.K. ![]() It’s a much darker and non traditional approach from Rihanna, It requires multiple listens to really appreciate some of it’s surprising complexities but I assure you by the time it finishes you’ll want to dive right back in. Apart from the nonsensical catchy ramblings of “Work” there wasn’t any other apparent singles on the album which from a critics point of view worked wonders, it was for once an album by Rihanna that was meant to be considered as art and not just pop fodder, despite being released all the way back in January I still find myself coming back to it, it’s experimental but one that proves equally as successful just listen to standout “Love On The Brain” with it’s doo-wop style which is unlike anything heard in pop for decades, If your looking for more traditional Rihanna then you can’t go wrong with “Consideration” and “Kiss It Better”, It also has some real cracking ballads on it such as “Higher” and “Never Ending” and what ever the hell “Needed Me” is. After releasing multiple albums on a yearly cycle Rihanna decided to switch things up and take a break for a few years to work on 2016’s ANTI, however leaks a messy release for the album resulted in one of her poorest ever rankings in the charts, this however didn’t change the fact that she had released some of her best material yet.
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